The present invention in general relates to a device for holding instruments and more specifically for surgical instruments used with a laparoscope when carrying out Minimal Invasive Surgery (MIS).
Currently in Minimal Invasive Surgery the operatory utilizes a surgical table on which instruments such as laparoscopic scissors, laparoscopic graspers, laparoscopic hemeclip applicators, and the like are generally placed and made ready for use at the appropriate time when called upon to be used during a laparoscopic procedure. Generally, an attending nurse usually hands a particular instrument to the surgeon performing the operation at the request of the surgeon. When a new instrument is required, the nurse receives the instrument being used from the surgeon, and hands him the next requested instrument. Because of the currently existing conventional procedures, injuries to patients have occurred due to the fact that surgical instruments have been placed on or adjacent the patient following use, due to lack of ordered procedures, and/or the inconvenience of conventional protocol. For example, current carrying instruments such as lasers and cauteries have caused fires in the operatory due to the instruments coming in contact with a flammable material such as a drape. In addition, the placement of the instrument table in the operatory is usually to the back of the surgeon whose attention is being directed to a patient, and therefore the surgeon must repeatedly turn while conducting a given procedure and is not aware of the location of the instruments except upon request to the attending nurse.
In view of the conventional techniques and protocols currently used in operating rooms during laparoscopic procedures, injuries have occurred due to the lack of order in accounting for the location of the surgical instruments being used in these procedure. In addition, manpower in the form of at least one attending nurse is required for the task of handing the particular instrument to the surgeon during a given procedure.
In the area of MIS there has long been a need for a system and/or device which accurately and reliably positions the various instruments used for a given surgical procedure, and allows the surgeon to accurately account for each instrument used during the procedure.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide for a reusable surgical holster which stores and presents instruments used in a surgical procedure in a ready position and in an ordered manner to provide the surgeon with a convenient portable workstation which securely holds and accounts for each tool or instrumentor used in a given surgical procedure.